bobby pins and beach sex
by libraryghosts
Summary: "I can't believe you actually locked the keys in the car, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation."


It's dark, she's fucking _freezing_ and she's pretty sure the last time she'd heard any other car drive by was well over twenty minutes ago.

She agreed to come to California with him for his book tour because he promised her a quiet, _stress-free_ getaway that would allow them plenty of time together without having to worry about who was watching.

He gave a talk at a Barnes & Noble in San Francisco, signed books for an hour or so after, and then met her back at their hotel.

They rented a car and spent a couple days driving up the coast, taking in the view and stopping every so often to eat or shop or make love in the back seat of the car.

They stayed in a gorgeous bed and breakfast the first night in Mendocino, waking up around nine for a languid good-morning fuck before heading out of town. They'd planned on driving all the way up Redwood Highway and staying a night in a nearby hotel before detouring east to catch a plane home from Medford.

Castle was awe-struck by the view somewhere between Arcata Bay and Orick, and insisted they pull over to enjoy it. Beckett, entranced by the fresh northern California breeze and the way the sun was slowly setting behind the curtain of the Pacific Ocean, agreed. They parked and stepped out of the car, iPhones in hand, and sat down on a large rock facing the beach. They took a couple of photos, Castle sending one to his mother and Alexis, before leaning in to make out a little as the sun finished setting.

It was only when they started to head back toward the car that Beckett noticed Castle rooting around in his pockets a little frantically.

"What?" she'd asked, hesitant.

He kept digging, checking and re-checking all his pockets in a frenzied haste.

"Castle, you didn't," she'd said, her voice carrying a lilt of disbelief.

"Actually, I think I kind of did."

They spent the next fifteen minutes frantically searching all of the forty feet between the car and where they were sitting with absolutely no luck. And now they're here, leaned up against the car, the keys staring at them tauntingly through the thin glass, trying to decide what to do next.

"Castle, just call AAA."

"I'm from Manhattan, Beckett. Why would I have a AAA membership?"

"What about the Hamptons house? You could have had car trouble on the way there."

"Never crossed my mind."

She rolls her eyes, breathes out a sigh and lets herself fall back against the rented BMW.

"I can't believe you actually locked the keys in the car, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation."

"Hey, now. I'm not exactly all the used to having to keep track of car keys all of the time. Maybe you should have been driving," he says, crossing his arms.

"Castle, that's what I suggested when we rented this car. You told me you wanted to 'show me how it's done,' whatever the hell that's supposed to mean."

"Can I borrow your bobby pin?"

"Here we go again."

"Come on, Beckett, it's worth a try!"

"No, it's not."

"Fine, I'll give you a choice. Either you let me borrow your bobby pin or I hurl one of these rocks through the window."

"Castle, it's a rental car!"

"I'll pay for it."

"It's rented in _my name_."

"Fine. Bobby pin it is, then."

"You know what, fine," she sighs, pulling the pin out of her hair and handing it to him.

"Thanks, babe." He draws out the "a" in a way that she thinks is meant to sound endearing but only succeeds in making her want to throw up a little.

"Don't call me that."

Castle spends the next few minutes violently jabbing the bobby pin into the keyhole over and over at different angles.

"Castle, you can't just shove it in a bunch of times and hope for the best—"

"That's what she said!" he quips, grinning smugly.

"Not in the mood," she says sternly. "Here, just give it to me."

She takes the accessory from him and gently maneuvers it into the keyhole, twisting and wiggling it around.

"Why, Detective, I thought you said this method was hopeless."

"It _is_. I just don't exactly have any other ideas at the moment."

He leans back against the car then, not even trying to suppress his self-satisfied grin. She works wordlessly for a few minutes, grunting and sighing as her attempts to pick the lock continue to fail miserably.

"God, this is fucking ridiculous," she finally says, dramatically throwing the useless thing to the ground. "We're going to freeze out here."

"Want my jacket?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Want my sweater?"

"Nope."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" she snaps, making him jump a little.

They're silent for a moment.

"Wanna have sex?"

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"You said you were cold!"

"Castle, do you see anywhere around here that looks like a place where you would want to have sex?" She pauses. "And don't say the hood of the car."

"On the beach!"

"Yeah, getting sand in my anus sounds like a real fun, sexy time," she deadpans.

"You can be on top."

"But then I'd have to listen to you complain about having sand stuck up your ass for a week."

"I'll put my jacket under us."

"Castle, focus! We're kind of in the middle of a crisis right now."

"I can't! I'm too cold!"

"You're such a baby."

"Come on, Beckett. It'll warm us up!"

"Are you serious?" she says, laughing now. "No!"

Castle turns to her, pressing her body tightly between his and the car. He leans into her, his soft lips brushing against her ear, making her shiver.

"What if I told you I do have a AAA membership but I just wanted to spend a little time messing with you before I called?" he whispers.

She pulls back then, mouth agape and eyes wide with the tiniest hint of a smile hidden in them.

"You are unbelievable," she says, shaking her head and pushing against his chest slightly.

"You love me for it."

"Sure, whatever."

He leans in to brush his lips against hers, but she stops him with a firm hand on his chest.

"Are you going to call?"

"Well, yeah—I mean. Yeah. I thought maybe we could…you know, we could have some fun first." He says, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"In your dreams."

"Fine, I'll call," he huffs, stepping away from her and pulling out his phone.

He spends the next few minutes on the phone, reading his card number to the woman on the other end and using his GPS to determine exactly where they are. When he hangs up she's standing by a big rock next to the one they were sitting on earlier, brushing some dirt off its mostly flat top. He just stares.

"How long 'til they'll be here?" she asks, not looking at him.

"Um, they said 30 to 40 minutes."

She walks back towards him then.

"Alright, Castle. I want to make it very clear that this will be both the first and last time I ever have sex with you on a rock on the side of a highway but I'm freezing cold and kind of mad at you so let's just do this, okay?"

He looks at her, absolutely stunned.

"Are we clear?" she repeats.

"Um, yeah. Yes."

"Good."

He's all but running over to the rock then, laying his jacket on it and grinning widely, motioning for her to lie down on it.

She just laughs.

"Not so fast, writer boy. You volunteered to bottom, remember?"


End file.
